Dec. 27, 2008
ATLANTA – Day two of Chick-fil-A Bowl Week saw Georgia Tech wake up early, have breakfast in the hotel and then head to campus shortly before 9:00 to get ready for practice. One of the great things of playing in the Chick-fil-A Bowl is that Tech gets to practice at home and be comfortable in their own locker room.
The Yellow Jackets practiced for an hour and a half in pads at the Rose Bowl Fields before several members of the team and a few coaches met with over a dozen reporters on Callaway Plaza. Weather reports called for the fog to break and temperatures to approach 70, but the entire practice was held in damp conditions.
After practice the Jackets boarded the busses again for a quick lunch at the Marriott Marquis and then the entire team and staff made their way to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic site. For an hour, the players made their way through the museum taking in all of the history.
The Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site includes a number of facilities that are operated in partnership with the National Park Service, Ebenezer Baptist Church and The King Center. Within these facilities the Jackets learned about Dr. King’s life and his influence on others.
The Peace Plaza is the area between the National Park Service Visitor Center and Auburn Avenue. The focal points of the beautifully landscaped plaza area are the International World Peace Rose Garden, which includes inspirational messages of peace composed by students from local Atlanta schools, and a flowing water fountain. Also located in the plaza is the “BEHOLD” statue.
After leaving the museum, the Jackets went back to the hotel where they had a few hours of free time before the Georgia Power Family Feud at night. Most players probably took this opportunity to take a much-needed nap.
Both teams enjoyed the Georgia Power Football Feud. Gil Tyree from CBS 46 was the Master of Ceremonies and after welcoming everyone to the Atrium Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis, both teams enjoyed a steak dinner. After dinner, Tyree called up a senior from each team as a two-minute highlight video from the regular season played. Darryl Richard represented the Yellow Jackets and we have to make sure to give kudos to Georgia Tech Video Operations Director Todd McCarthy and his staff. Todd put together an amazing video of some season highlights, including the call by “Voice of the Yellow Jackets” Wes Durham. Center Brett Helms was the LSU representative.
The next item on the agenda was the recognition of senior athletes. Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson and LSU head coach Les Miles came up on-stage and presented each of their seniors with a plaque.
Finally, it was time for the evening’s main event – Georgia Power Football Feud. 790 the Zone’s Steak Shapiro was the host. The first game was between the Tech offense and LSU defense. The Jackets were represented by Todd Spencer, Calvin Booker, Dan Voss, Jim Henry and Nick Claytor. LSU was able to squeak out a narrow win, but there were several funny moments. It was quite evident that many of these players have never seen Family Feud! The Jackets made a come-back in the second game behind the defensive team of Dave Wommack, Dominique Reese, Darryl Richard, Matt Braman and Brad Jefferson.
With the final game still up for grabs, the Jackets had a chance to steal the question of what do players like to do when no one else is watching and complete the win. None other than defensive coordinator Dave Wommack won the game with his answer of “partying!” Other questions included name something every player has to have on game-day, name something your coach yells at you for and name a football movie.
Sunday will be another action-packed day for the Yellow Jackets. They will practice first-thing in the morning at the Rose Bowl Fields and then Coach Johnson and a couple players will participate in a press conference. In the afternoon, the entire team will head over to the Georgia Dome and watch the Falcons take on the St. Louis Rams.
Be sure to stay with www.ramblinwreck.com throughout Chick-fil-A Bowl week as we give you a behind-the-scenes look at all of the activities.
